The Michigan Daily

Bangham relaxes between running coffee and food to tables. (TOMMASO GOMEZ/Daily)

If people-watching is your secret pleasure, forget the Diag and head over to the legendary Fleetwood Diner on Ashley Street. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this little greasy spoon is a true microcosm of Ann Arbor life. On a typical evening, you might find a white-collared businessman returning from the office, a nurse grabbing a quick bite before her night shift, a disgruntled student in Gothic garb writing angsty poetry and even the occasional bum devouring a good, cheap meal. If you go on a Wednesday night you'll also run into waitress Emilye Bangham, a 26-year-old free spirit.

"I like the flexibility of the code of conduct here," Bangham says, "The customer doesn't always have to be right."

According to Bangham, waitresses are entitled to mirror their customer's attitudes. "Certain people are encouraged to stay a long time," she explains, "but someone who comes in and acts like a jerk has fewer privileges."

As Bangham - the only waitress during her shift - easily handles six orders while joking with the diner's regulars at the counter, the job seems second nature to her. In reality, she's only worked there for about a year and a half. "But, I've been eating here for over 10," she says.

Bangham's career at the Fleetwood began when she returned to her native Ann Arbor after her travels in Asia. "My boyfriend was going to India, so I followed him and we lived in New Delhi for six months," she recalls. Soon after coming back to the States, she felt the desire to journey again, but this time, to Bangkok.

"I had an interest in Thai massage, so we found a school," explains Bangham. Unable to speak Thai, she learned by watching and imitating her instructors. Eventually, she mastered the art and began teaching it herself in Thai schools and juvenile centers. "It was wonderful to be able to give something back," she comments.

Bangham describes the differences between Bangkok and New Delhi as dramatic. "Thailand is very idyllic, with white sand, bamboo huts and thick forests, so you have to pay extra for adventure," she laughs. "But in India, just getting food is an adventure. It's a place that represents everything gorgeous and horrible jumbled together."

Although she found life in New Delhi more challenging, she was fascinated by the people's mentality. "There could be a cow in the middle of a six-lane highway and people won't get upset; They would just drive around it. They don't think of things as they should be, but as they are."

Continued...

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